The Slamdance Film Festival is Jan 27- Feb 6 this year and will feature a Fayetteville local artist.

• Local talent: The short film, South, is a 12-minute film that tells the story of how 19-year-old and Fayetteville local, South Walker, learned to express himself artistically as a sculptor on the autism spectrum. It showcases friends, fans, and family that have been impacted by his art.
• The Festival: The lineup consists of 121 short films and other projects. One filmmaker will win a $25,000 prize and gain a studio and mentorship from the Russo Brothers.

Read the full article HERE.

Two businesses have partnered together to produce an animated series and bring a new age of entertainment to Northwest Arkansas.

• Bringing life: Cartwheel Startup Studio and Jumpcut Media are working together on a multi part media project, which includes a film series as well as an illustrated seek-and-find book series unified by a collection of animated non-fungible token characters or NFTs.
• New community: The film project revolves around the characters from The Society of the Hourglass, which is in a narrative universe of characters based on historical figures who time travel to advance society. The goal is for members of the online community to have continual input in the project and future stories. 

Learn more about the project HERE.

A locally written and produced play about the history of Arkansas is presenting its first public performances at the Walton Arts Center. 

• History & Art: The play, Digging Up Arkansas, teaches Arkansas history in an inspirational and entertaining way. It has been seen by thousands of students in Arkansas over the years, but has never been on the public stage. There will only be 2 showings on Jan 22. 
• Storytelling: The play aligns with 3-5th grade Arkansas history curriculum goals, using songs, storytelling, and audience participation to teach accurate history. In the play, 3 people in the Federal Writers Project work to gather the state’s history to bring to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. 

Find more information and info on tickets HERE. 

Two Northwest Arkansas locations we know and love are finalists for World-Architects’ U.S. Building of the Year.

• Ozark Natural Foods Co-Op: The Fayetteville building was renovated from an old grocery store that had been vacant for years, and now it a place to get fresh organic foods, stay for lunch, or hang out on the largest porch in town. 
• The Momentary: The other NWA finalist is the contemporary art space found in downtown Bentonville. The Momentary is a sister project of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and inhabits what used to be an abandoned Kraft Foods cheese factory.

You can vote for the U.S. Building of the Year winner HERE. 

The Walmart AMP had a pretty solid lineup for the 2021 season and they're landing some new big names for 2022.

• Iconic Trio: Multiple Grammy, CMA, and ACM winners Miranda Lambert and Little Big Town are the newest editions. They will be joined by The Cadillac Three to play a jam packed night of some of the nations favorite country music. Tickets for the show go on sale this Friday, Jan 14 at 10a.
• Get ready: Other names in the lineup for 2022 include Jimmy Buffett, Styx, 5 Seconds of Summer, Goo Goo Dolls with Blue October, The Backstreet Boys, and Matchbox Twenty to name a few.

See all the upcoming Walmart AMP shows HERE.